


Extraterrestrial

by orphan_account



Series: HideKaneWeek2019 [7]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: Alien encounter, Alien!Kaneki, Crack Treated Seriously, Day 4, HideKaneWeek2019, Human!Hide, M/M, lots of fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-12
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 18:15:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21772825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Kaneki's task is to go to earth, observe, and gather information on human behavior. He's posing as a typical university student, rooming with a human named Nagachika Hideyoshi. Except Hide is also observing him. And he can't believe Kaneki actually expects to pass as human.
Relationships: Kaneki Ken | Sasaki Haise/Nagachika Hideyoshi
Series: HideKaneWeek2019 [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1566736
Comments: 14
Kudos: 103





	Extraterrestrial

**Author's Note:**

> As soon as I saw the Day 4 prompt, I knew I was going to write this. I've been cackling about it since then.

The problems started on a sunny Monday morning with orange juice and coffee.

Kaneki Ken. 20. Human Male.

It was the identity Kaneki chose for his time on earth. He had the choice to create his disguise, and put what he thought was proper dedication into it. He was average height, with a muscular build, black hair and grey eyes.

Kaneki’s duty was to experience the life of a common university student in a place called Tokyo, Japan. The agents already placed on earth secured his identity, so as soon as he landed, he would be put into his meat-suit, and start his life. The duration of his stay was undecided, and would likely continue until Kaneki collected sufficient information for his superiors.

The first course of action was moving in with his roommate. Nagachika Hideyoshi. 21. Human male. Average height, slight build, dyed blonde hair with brown roots and brown eyes. They were to live in one of the dorms on campus, sharing their room.

Kaneki was a little nervous, as he hadn’t been on earth before, and wasn’t sure what to expect. As they had just begun investigating the planet a couple years earlier, Kaneki was practically jumping in blind. They only had the basics of human behavior mapped. It was just enough to start sending agents disguised as humans, Kaneki being the thirteenth sent.

Kaneki adjusted his clothes for the twelfth time, scowling as they itched his already itchy skin. It was always strange getting accustomed to a new body. And itchy. Did he say itchy? Kaneki wrinkled his nose and scratched between his shoulder blades.

Oh well. At least it was good practice for displaying his emotions and getting used to the strange depth perception his body came with.

He knocked on the dorm door, hearing some shuffling from within and an indecipherable shout. A few seconds later, the door was yanked open and Hide was standing on the other side, eyes bright with excitement.

“Ugh! Sorry dude, I just woke up.” Hide waved at him. “Come in. Come in. Have you eaten yet? I can make some breakfast. It won’t be great because I just got the basics yesterday when I went grocery shopping, but it’ll be something!”

Kaneki was ushered to a bare table with a couple plain and unmatched chairs set at it. Hide gestured to one of the chairs and Kaneki obliging sat, as straight up as possible. Hide hummed as he moved about the kitchen, getting out various instruments and ingredients. Kaneki watched everything he did, doing his best to absorb the information. He would have to learn how to copy him, and he would also have to take notes on all he was doing.

“My coffee. Is like. Total shit. But it’ll have to do. There’s no way I’m surviving an A.M. class without it. And look! I made eggs and toast! And didn’t burn either.” Hide seemed very proud, so Kaneki gathered it must have been a rather difficult task.

Kaneki placed a hand on his elbow. “You did well,” he said as seriously and sincerely as possible. “Thank you.”

“Riiiight.” Hide placed the plate in front of Kaneki. He also filled up a mug with some type of black sludge. “Anyway, hope you enjoy.”

Kaneki watched how Hide ate, then did the same. So when Hide reached for the orange juice he set out on the table earlier and poured it into his ‘coffee’, Kaneki did the same. Even though it was disgusting. Hide looked at him strangely as he drank the mixture, then he looked back at his own mug with confusion. Kaneki didn’t really get it. He was just copying Hide. Did he already do something wrong?

“Here.” Hide slid his own mug towards Kaneki with a wrinkled nose. “I – uh – don’t like orange juice in my coffee. Put it in by mistake. Still tired, I guess.” He laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “I have to get going to class, but there’s a key on the counter. And you can tell which bed I’ve claimed, I’m sure. Sorry I’m not able to help you unpack. I’ll catch you later, yeah?”

And so Kaneki was left in the kitchen, staring at the two mugs of coffee and orange juice sitting in front of him. He really hoped he wouldn’t have to pretend to like it for the rest of his time on earth.

Kaneki spent the next few weeks watching Hide. But what he didn’t know, was that Hide was also watching him.

~<3<3<3~

Hide was acting strangely, or at least based on what other agents were putting in their reports. Yes, he was like most other humans in most ways. But his behavior towards Kaneki – it was _off_. Other humans didn’t explain to the agents how to do things, not like Hide did. Kaneki wondered if he fucked up in some way, so against his better judgement, he didn’t mention any of Hide’s strange behaviour in his reports.

For instance, Hide explained to him that most people closed their eyes before they went to sleep. He was turned over in his own bed, moonlight coming through the window and illuminating his light-coloured hair. He said so with a gentle smile, and curiosity glinting in his eyes. Kaneki decided to follow his advice and close his eyes from then on out. He didn’t know why he didn’t think of it. His eyes were so much less dry in the morning.

Another time, Kaneki was sitting on the couch reading while Hide was watching television. Hide glanced over at him, did a double-take, then took the book from Kaneki’s hands and turned it upside down. “That’s uh – yeah. How most people usually do that.” Kaneki’s brow furrowed. In preparation to come to earth, he read many human books to become accustomed with their culture – in many different languages. He knew some read in different directions, so he wasn’t surprised he mixed some up. Reading it the way Hide showed him took some practice, but he was good at adapting, so it didn’t take too long. 

A few days later, Kaneki was taking his notes on a laptop. He had a few textbooks for the courses he was enrolled in at the university, and he didn’t like to highlight things in them like Hide did. He typed everything important out to be reviewed later. Hide came and looked over his shoulder, eyebrows raised incredulously as Kaneki’s fingers flew over the keyboard.

“Wow – don’t do that in class. You’re gonna freak everyone out.”

Kaneki stopped typing and spun to face Hide, keeping his expression innocent even as he was freaking out on the inside. “What do you mean?”

Hide was struggling to keep a smile off his face. “Humans generally can’t type at like. 300 words pers minute.” He let out a nervous laugh. “You’re gonna wanna slow down a bit. Like 60 to 100 maybe?”

“Oh.” Kaneki glanced back at his laptop. That would slow things down a bit. He turned back to Hide, pouting a little bit. The more accustomed he was becoming to copying human’s emotions, the less he seemed to be able to control them on his own face.

He froze. What Hide said finally sunk in.

“I’m human,” he protested.

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say, because Hide looked all too satisfied. “That’s something someone who isn’t human would say.”

“I’m human.”

“And I’m an alien.”

Kaneki’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t aware earth was already being investigated by a different species. Was that why Hide was acting so strangely? Was he pretending to be human too? “Which galaxy are you from?”

Hide burst out laughing, leaning against Kaneki’s desk for support. “No, no. That was sarcasm. I was saying I was an alien, because it’s just as ridiculous a claim as you saying you’re human.” At Kaneki’s uncomprehending expression, he sighed. “I’m from this planet. But I’m guessing you’re not. Which is pretty cool. I mean – I always thought aliens existed – somewhere out there – but I never thought I would ever meet one. I have like – so, so, so many questions. About everything. What are things like on your planet? Why are you here? What do you look like? Cuz I really don’t think you look exactly like humans. The chances on that are way too low. So how did you get that body? Did you take over it – like a body-snatcher or something, or…”

“I’m human,” Kaneki said weakly. Oh god. What was he going to do? He wasn’t supposed to let humans know they existed. They were in the simple exploratory and information gathering stage of their investigation. They weren’t anywhere near letting humans know they existed.

“Whoa. Hey, it’s okay.” Hide placed a hand on his shoulder. “I mean, so long as you aren’t looking to take over the world or snatch my body or something. It’s not like I’m going to tell anyone. And even if I did, no one would believe me, so it’s all good.”

Kaneki groaned and thumped his head against his desk. “We’re not here to cause any trouble. We just observe, to see if we want to make contact in the future. And we definitely don’t snatch bodies.”

“Well that’s a relief.” Hide started poking his shoulder. His back. His cheek. “How do you get the bodies then?”

“We make them.” Kaneki was in so deep, he might as well keep going. “They’re fully functionally just like yours is, but the nervous system is different to accommodate for us.”

When Hide withdrew his hand, Kaneki glanced up. Hide’s eyes were glittering, trailing up and down Kaneki’s body. He opened his mouth, and Kaneki was sure he would spew more word-vomit out, so he held up a finger.

“One question at a time.”

“So you’re not a little green man hiding inside a bigger body?”

“No.”

“What do you look like?”

Kaneki tapped his finger against the desk. He hummed. “How to explain it… our main body is relatively small. I suppose you could call it the brain.” He pointed to his head. “This is where we chose to store it – its not as well protected as it is in other species, which is especially worrying given how hazardous your world is. Not many of us wanted to come here because of that… The rest of my body much resembles a human’s nervous system. Currently, anyway. I can create hundreds upon thousands of limbs in any size or shape. They’re what I use to control this body.” Kaneki nodded to let Hide knew he could ask the next question.

“What do you mean when you say our world is hazardous?”

“The climate here is harsh – specifically the weather patterns and the way the temperature varies into either extreme. Not to mention all the chemical hazards. If I didn’t have a body, I wouldn’t be able to survive long here. Our bodies are comparably fragile to yours. Even on our own planet, we create different equipment – like armour – to protect us. The armour usually circular in shape. And has thousands of tiny holes where we can extend our limbs.” Kaneki held up a finger before Hide could speak, already seeing the delight in his eyes and the smile pulling at his lips. “I swear – if you compare me to any type of sea creature – I _will_ kick you.”

Hide deflated a little, pouting. He tapped his chin, thinking of what else to ask. “You said earlier, that you had that body made. Did you get to choose it? Create it yourself?”

Kaneki frowned, unsure why Hide wanted to know something like that. “I created the blueprint for it. It was made by an engineer on my planet.”

“So,” Hide’s eyes trailed down his body again. He looked up and waggled his eyebrows. “You intentionally made yourself hot, didn’t you?”

Kaneki sputtered, turning back to his work.

“Don’t have an answer for that one, huh?”

~<3<3<3~

Kaneki never reported that Hide knew the truth. Instead, he continued to study the people around him, reporting back on that instead. Hide helped him all the time, pointing out when he was doing something that could be seen as strange, and answering any questions Kaneki had. It was really nice. Kaneki had to act all day long, like he had on so many other planets. But now, the person he was staying with _knew_ and he could relax once he got home. He didn’t have to worry about being weird. He could just be himself.

He was sitting at his desk, two books open in front of him. He was using each hand to flip the pages in the different books. He had one eye trained on one, and the other on the second. They moved independently of each other as he read. Hide was curled up on the couch nearby with his own textbook, chewing on the end of his highlighter. But instead of working, he was staring at Kaneki with fascination.

“Dude. I really, really which I could do that. I could get things done in half the time.”

“You could already get things done in half the time if you actually focused on your work.” Kaneki pulled his hands away from his books and closed his eyes. He kept them open for too long again and were they were starting to get dry. Remembering to blink was too hard. “I need a break.”

Hide closed his own textbook. “Yeah. You’re not the only one. I needed one a while ago.” He stood up and stretched. Kaneki copied him, Hide watching with amusement. “Besides, finals aren’t for another two weeks, so we should enjoy ourselves a little while we can. This new coffee shop opened close to campus. Should we go try it out? They have sweets there.”

Something Kaneki thoroughly enjoyed on earth was the food. It tasted better than any other planet he’d been on. Sweets especially were a weakness for him.

“You treated me to ramen last week, so I’ll catch the bill on this one.” Hide pulled on his coat. Meanwhile, Kaneki bundled up a bit more, with a hat, a scarf and some mitts. He was a lot more sensitive to the cold than Hide was, despite the human body he had to protect him.

“Thanks.” Kaneki locked the door behind him. Other humans couldn’t be trusted.

It was a bit far of a walk for Kaneki. By the time they got to the café, his teeth were chattering and his fingers felt numb. Hide was looking at him with concern as they took their seats. When the waitress came, Hide ordered for him, getting both of them coffees to start off, Hide’s loaded with cream and sugar, and Kaneki’s black. Sure, Kaneki liked sweets and all, but after the orange juice incident, he refused to add anything into his coffee.

Kaneki slid off his mitts and tried to flex his fingers, trying to get the feeling back into them. Some of his limbs had retreated from the cold, leaving things like his fingers and toes unmoveable and useless. Hide reached across the table, taking Kaneki’s hands in his own. Kaneki sighed in relief at the warmth, letting Hide rub his hands.

“You’re really sensitive to the cold, huh?” Hide frowned. “Sorry. Next time we’ll go somewhere a little closer.” He continued to rub Kaneki’s hands, a little furrow in his brow. His concern made Kaneki feel… cared for.

It’d been a long time since Kaneki felt like that. Even on his past planets, there were people who he got close to, but there was no one who knew him for who he was, not like Hide did. And even when he did return back to his home planet, he was never really there long enough to form any meaningful connections.

He was lonely.

Except for when he was with Hide.

Their coffee arrived, and finally able to move his fingers, Kaneki thankfully took his cup. He was a little sad to let go of Hide’s hands, but he was worried it would’ve been strange to do so for any longer. The waitress already sent them numerous weird looks. So he occupied both hands to drink his coffee, and ordered some cheesecake. Hide ordered himself a sandwich.

The whole time they were waiting for their order, Kaneki couldn’t help but glance at Hide’s hands, wishing he could take one again. He was surprised when Hide caught his gaze, slid his hand across the table, and took one of Kaneki’s in his.

“Isn’t this weird?” Kaneki asked. “The waitress was staring at us earlier.”

Hide’s expression was… complicated. To put it lightly. He started to speak, then stopped himself, frowning. “It’s… well… in this world – in most places…” Hide sighed heavily. “Some people consider it strange – or taboo, for two people of the same gender to be together. Or for people to deviate from what is supposed to be ‘normal’ for their assigned gender.”

“Together?”

“Romantically.” Hide squeezed Kaneki’s hand. “This is usually taken as a sign that two people are involved romantically.”

“Oh.” Kaneki stared at their hands. Hide’s hand was tight, like he didn’t want to let go. “Humans can be strange and cruel.” He remembered reading a little bit about human sexuality and human concepts of gender a long while back. “Gender doesn’t matter much to me. Its not like we have it on our planet anyway.”

Hide looked incredibly relieved. “You’ll have to tell me more about that, once I think up some good questions.”

“Of course. Anything you want to know.”

Their food arrived. The cake was delicious, and went perfectly with the bitterness of his coffee. Hide seemed to enjoy his sandwich as well. He was smiling the whole time, even when they weren’t talking. Kaneki’s couldn’t help but mirror the expression. On their way home, Hide slid his hand inside one of Kaneki’s mitts so they could home hands on the way back.

It kept Kaneki’s one hand warm, though with the sun having gone down, and the temperature having dropped even further, he was shivering even worse when they got back to the dorm. Kaneki struggled a bit, trying to get his winter gear off. Not only were his fingers and toes not working, but his arms and legs were affected too. He could barely get them to listen to him, and they moved so much slower than he was used to. After a little, Hide took some pity on him a helped him get undressed. He led Kaneki over to the couch, sitting him down. He ran his hands over Kaneki’s arms.

“You’re freezing.”

Enticed by the warmth of Hide’s hands, Kaneki leaned closer to him, feeling the heat radiating off his body. Hesitantly, Hide wrapped him up in a hug, rubbing his hands up and down Kaneki’s back. Kaneki pressed his face into Hide’s shoulder, letting his warmth chase some of the cold away.

“You know, you’re kind of like a –“

“Don’t compare me to a leech,” Kaneki grumbled.

Hide laughed. “What you going to do? Kick me? You can hardly walk.”

Kaneki huffed, closing his eyes and enjoying the embrace while it lasted. Hide’s hands traced random patterns on his back.

“What are you doing?”

“Looking for the zipper on your meat-suit.”

Kaneki couldn’t help the short laugh that escaped him. Hide chuckled as well, still tracing on Kaneki’s back. The sensation was pleasant. And even though Kaneki was warming up, he didn’t want to leave Hide’s embrace. The whole day was nice, but something was nagging at Kaneki. Something he couldn’t leave alone. There was something about the way Hide looked at him sometimes, the gentleness in his gaze, in his words, in his actions.

“Hide?” Kaneki’s voice was muffled a little by Hide’s shoulder.

Hide hummed.

“Was today a date?” He read books with relationships in them plenty of times. He liked to think he knew at least some of the signs of human attraction. Although he didn’t know about the whole hand-holding thing, so he wasn’t sure.

Hide shifted a bit, glancing down at him. “Did you want it to be?”

Kaneki was surprised to feel a little hopeful with that question. “…yeah.”

“Well, then.” Hide grinned. “I guess it _was_ a date.” One of Hide’s hands trailed up to the back of his head, fingers carding through his hair. Kaneki tucked his face back against Hide, enjoying the sensation. It was nice. Hide was nice.

~<3<3<3~

Cramping.

It was a problem Kaneki had to deal with before. It happened multiple times, on multiple planets. Having to extend his limbs in such a rigid position for such an extended amount of time made them ache. He was experiencing it for the first time on earth, his limbs occasionally seizing. Usually on other planets, he would go somewhere secluded, make a small excision near where his main body was, and let his limbs stretch out a bit.

“Hey, you okay?” Hide knelt, picking up the coffee mug Kaneki dropped. Thankfully, Kaneki hadn’t filled it yet, so he didn’t end up splattering hot coffee all over himself.

A million excuses jumped to Kaneki’s lips, but he took a deep, calming breath. He explained it to Hide, knowing he would understand.

“Is it really painful?” Hide took Kaneki’s arm, massaging it. It wouldn’t help, but Kaneki appreciated the gesture.

“It can be, if I leave it long enough.” He had to, on a few planets. Those days were unbearable, even if it was necessary. Kaneki was glad he would never have to endure that pain on earth.

Hide cupped Kaneki’s cheek. “Do you want me to leave? So you can…?

“No, no.” Kaneki glanced around the room. “Let’s just close the blinds, so no one else will see?”

Hide nodded, and almost ran to do it. He also double-checked to make sure the door was locked. Meanwhile, Kaneki got a knife from the kitchen. It was crude, but it would work. He certainly had worse options on other planets. In addition to the knife, he got a couple towels to soak up any blood from the cut. He laid face-down in bed, putting the towels underneath his throat. Hide came back to hover above him nervously.

“What – what do I do?”

“You can sit. Watch.” There was enough room beside Kaneki. “You were curious what I looked like, weren’t you?”

“Yeah. I was… but…” Hide placed his hand on the small of Kaneki’s back.

Kaneki picked up the knife, and Hide stiffened.

“Won’t it hurt? To cut yourself.”

“Yes.” Kaneki raised the knife and brought it to the back of his neck. “But the alternative is worse. It doesn’t hurt for long.” Kaneki pressed the knife into his neck. It sunk in with surprising ease. Then, gritting his teeth, he made an incision about three inches long. Blood trailed down, soaking the towels below him.

Hide made a small, concerned noise.

Kaneki put the knife down at his side. “Hold still. My limbs are fragile.” Slowly he withdrew them from the body’s toes and fingers, then the arms and legs, then from the torso. Then he pressed them outwards, out of the incision on the back of his neck. Thousands of little red tendrils reached out, curling into the air. He heard Hide gasp, but as per Kaneki’s request, he stayed perfectly still.

“You’re beautiful,” Hide whispered.

Kaneki’s limbs stretched out along the confines of the room, pressing into the walls and the ceiling. He curled a fair amount around Hide, around his arms and torso and caressing his face. It was one thing to touch him with the human body, but with his actual one?

He shuddered. He could feel all Hide’s emotions. The happiness and the wonder. But most of all… the love. Hide absolutely adored him. Kaneki curled around him tighter, feeling warm. The last of the limbs he had remaining in the human body reached out, leaving it entirely limp against the bed. The only thing left inside the human body was his main body. After a few minutes of stretching, and curling his limbs around Hide to feel his warmth, he slowly retreated back into the human body.

Hide hovered over him patiently as he sent his limbs back to where they were supposed to go, reconnecting everything. After a couple minutes he opened his eyes again, flexed his fingers and his toes. A few limbs went out to seal the cut on the back of his neck and speed the healing process. It was a little sore, but other than that, Kaneki felt relaxed and languid. It was nice to stretch.

Kaneki turned his head smiled up at Hide. “So?”

“That was awesome.” Hide’s fingers trailed along the skin beside the incision. “Thank you,” his voice was soft. “For letting me see that.”

“I… wanted you to see me. The real me.”

“I’m really happy you trusted me enough to do that.” Hide ran his hand up and down Kaneki’s spine, sending tingles all the way down to his toes. “You want some help cleaning up?”

“Please.” Kaneki didn’t really want to get up. “After that you want to nap with me for a bit?”

“You know I’m always down for a nap.” Hide pulled away, going to the bathroom to get some more towels. Kaneki heard the water running. Hide came back, and as gently as he could, he cleaned up the blood from Kaneki’s neck with a warm washcloth. Kaneki hummed pleasantly as he did so, sinking further into the mattress. By the time Hide was done, and getting rid of all the bloodied towels, Kaneki was almost asleep.

He dimly felt Hide crawl into bed bedside him, wrapping Kaneki up in his warmth and pulling a blanket over them. Kaneki never slept better in his life.

~<3<3<3~

Hide’s arm curled around Kaneki’s waist, pulling him into a half-hug. Kaneki, who loved any type of physical affection from Hide, leaned into the embrace. He smelled something sweet and chocolatey, so he put down the book he was reading, not surprised to see a plate with a few brownies sitting on the table in front of them. They were still steaming, fresh out of the oven. A couple mugs of coffee were set beside them, Kaneki’s black, and Hide’s topped with so much whipped cream, he wasn’t sure if there was any room for coffee.

Hide had recently taken up baking. He spent his spare time in the kitchen, making various sweets for Kaneki, who was more than eager to partake in anything Hide made him. At times like this, he felt almost overwhelmed with emotion. He was so lucky, to get the chance to meet Hide and be a part of his life.

Hide grabbed one of the brownies and shoved it in his mouth. He picked up the remote for the television and flicked over to a channel. It was a Tuesday, which meant Hide’s favourite drama was on. Kaneki started watching them with him, considering how much Hide loved them. It was nice to hear him rant about them and be able to keep up.

Kaneki settled against Hide, picking up one of the brownies. It felt delightfully soft, and was so warm it was almost burning his fingers. He bit into it, sighing happily. It was perfectly sweet. He finished it quickly and grabbed another.

The drama started playing, and Kaneki mostly watched, glancing over to Hide occasionally. He was really adorable with how he laughed at some things, and got so absorbed and serious with other ones. Kaneki ached to reach out and touch his features, but he didn’t want to distract him from his show. He took the opportunity to on the next commercial break – tracing his fingertips along Hide’s jaw. Hide turned to face him, his eyes softening and a gentle smile playing on his lips.

“What’s up?”

Kaneki hummed, considering. A couple weeks earlier, he sent in a request he never had before. It was for an extended stay on the planet, one that would last for decades, possibly over a century. Most likely, he would be there for the duration of Hide’s life. Just yesterday, he received his confirmation – his request was approved, so long as he supplied weekly reports.

“I…” Kaneki could spend the rest of Hide’s life with him, if that’s what he wanted. “I love you.” Those were words he never uttered before, but they felt right to say to Hide.

Hide’s cheeks reddened, and even though the drama started back up in the background, he didn’t turn away from Kaneki. His jaw dropped and his eyes widened. He recovered quickly, smiling hesitantly. “I love you too.”

Kaneki’s eyes darted down to Hide’s lips. It was something he wanted to try, even though he had no idea how to do it. “Kiss me?”

Hide’s smile only grew. “Couldn’t be happier to.” He pulled Kaneki closer to him, so close Kaneki was almost in his lap. He wrapped Kaneki up in his arms, just the way he liked. Kaneki hesitantly put his hands on Hide’s shoulders. Hide closed his eyes, but Kaneki kept his open, not wanting to miss any of Hide’s expressions.

Hide’s lips pressed against his, gentle and sweet. He pulled back after a second, smiling softly, still close enough that when he spoke, his lips brushed against Kaneki’s. “Relax.” One of Hide’s hands massaged the small of Kaneki’s back, and the other came up to rub his jaw. Kaneki did his best to listen, rolling his shoulders and unclenching his jaw. He was a little nervous, so he couldn’t help it. Hide pressed their lips together again, humming. “Better.” He tried his best to copy Hide’s movement, but he felt uncoordinated and inexperienced. He only hoped he wasn’t making a fool of himself. But Hide looked happy, and entirely focused on what he was doing, so Kaneki guessed he wasn’t too bad.

Hide nibbled his bottom lip, then sucked at it gently. The hand on Kaneki’s jaw trailed up to his hair, tangling in the strands. Kaneki shuddered, gripping at Hide’s shirt. He wanted to be closer.

Except Hide chose that moment to pull back, eyes bright and lips reddened. He licked them, smiling dopily. “You’re a quick study, huh?” He brushed his lips across Kaneki’s jaw.

“Was it… good?” He could only hope it was as good for Hide as it was for him.

Hide cupped his cheek, thumb brushing against Kaneki’s lips and making his breath hitch. “Perfect.”

Kaneki smiled to himself, settling back down beside Hide, resting his head against his shoulder. Hide grabbed the throw they had over the back of the couch, draping it over them. He kept an arm wrapped around Kaneki’s waist, fingers tapping a gentle rhythm on his hip. Kaneki turned his attention back to the screen.

He wished he could spend the rest of his life like this.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Lost In Translation](https://archiveofourown.org/works/24662032) by [Rainy_Day_Lemonade](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rainy_Day_Lemonade/pseuds/Rainy_Day_Lemonade)




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